Ayan mondal,
Diamond Harbour

If offices start and end an hour early in summer, then employees can avoid the scorching sun. They will also be able to spend one more hour with their families.

Santosh Chakraborty,
Unique Park

I don?t think it?s a good idea. It will provide some relief to the employees in the morning, but will leave them exposed to the afternoon sun. Besides, early attendance will put pressure on housewives. The changeover will cause a lot of initial hardships as well.

Naren Sen,
BN Lahiri Lane

I feel such a move will be more effective in cities like New Delhi and Hyderabad and districts like Purulia, Bankura and Burdwan, than in Calcutta. The schedule change would not help employees fight the high humidity in the city. Also, one must take into account that ACs have been installed in most offices.

Chandan Ray,
Sakuntala Park

It would be wiser to implement the system in the cities in north and west India. Besides, the move will only help those with desk jobs. Others will have to brave the sun.

Sachindra Nath Mitra,
Rakhal Ghosh Lane

It is a very good proposal. There should be three time slots for offices ? starting from 8 am, 9 am and 10 am ? for different seasons.

Dinabandhu Mukherjee,
Behala

Government employees will take advantage of an advancement in office time. Availing of transport early in the morning might prove to be a problem. However, if all offices do not advance their time, the load of passengers on public transports during office hours will get distributed, providing some relief to employees.

Satyen Biswas,
Pathak Para

I don?t think a change in office time will bring about any remarkable change. Housewives, however, will have to suffer as a result. I think the current office schedules should be continued.

Mehjibin Yunus,
Bright Street

In summer, the nights are short and people do not get enough time to rest and relax. If they are made to get up even earlier, their productivity will decrease. Also, the temperature at noon is not significantly higher than around 9 am, so there is no reason to change the office hours.

A. Ayaz,
Serampore

Definitely. Such a step would be very helpful for workers and improve their performances.

Biman Saha,
Lake Town

It is not a bad idea. Advancement of time will help in the best utilisation of sunlight and reduce power consumption. However, people living far from office would find it difficult to reach on time. They should be provided with transportation. Advancement of the schedules of schools and colleges would also prove beneficial.

Anil Kumar Sen,
Ram Chandra Chatterjee Lane

I fail to appreciate the proposal. Advancing office hours by one hour would not provide much comfort to employees. Moreover, since ours is a tropical country, most people are used to dealing with the heat.

A.K. Mitra,
Padmapukur Road

Such a move will cause a lot of problems initially, but will provide great results in the long run. A better option would be to extend office hours from 7 am to 7 pm and provide holidays on alternate days.

S.S. Almal,
Address not given

Early office hours during summer will distribute the traffic load on public transports. Employees would thus be able to travel in comfort.

Fakhre Alam,
Tiljala Lane

Starting offices an hour early will hardly make a difference. Besides, the sun is not as scorching here as in Delhi and Rajasthan. People sleep late in Calcutta, so many employees would find it difficult to make it to office an hour earlier. Also, the move will in no way help reduce the sufferings of those who work outdoors.

Kalyan Ghosh,
Park Street

All offices should advance their times, particularly in summer. West Asian countries are good examples. Government offices there generally operate between 7.30 am and 2 pm throughout the year, while private sector offices work in two shifts, from 7.30 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm. Adoption of similar schedules would boost productivity here.

Hemanta Kumar Datta,
Shibpur

Given the work culture in West Bengal, if such a step is taken, people would come to office late and leave early. In addition, employees living in distant places would also find it difficult to reach office on time even if they want to. Productivity would diminish as a result.

SauriK Ginoria,
Ganesh Talkies

Office times definitely need to altered for the benefit of employees. Otherwise, productivity levels will remain abysmal.

Govind Das Dujari,
Diamond Harbour Road

Not only offices, schools and markets should also start and end an hour early in summer. Because of the heat, employees often reach offices absolutely drained. The situation is similar for schoolchildren. However, some employees might have a mental block regarding reporting for work early. To overcome the problem, the clock can be advanced by an hour. Power consumption will considerably reduce. I have heard Pakistan does this in summer.

Indranil Sanyal,
Dhakuria

An early start will help employees reach office with more energy. This is the best way to improve productivity as all offices are not blessed with air-conditioners. The traffic situation will also improve as a result.

Saumya datta,
HM Road

It is not practical because many employees live far away from their workplace. Many government employees reach office late even now.

Anjan Chatterjee,
Graham Road

Offices starting and ending early won?t help residents of suburbs. The traffic situation needs to be improved before such a move is considered. Also, an early end to office will force employees to go home in the scorching afternoon sun.

Joydeep Chatterjee,
Shyambazar

An hour?s difference would hardly provide any comfort to employees. They will benefit only if offices start at sunrise and end after sundown.

Shaona Saha,
Chandernagore

Rather, pushing back the schedule by an hour could provide some respite to employees. But the administration should act to improve the traffic condition so that people are not delayed and exhausted in transit.

Rajesh Sharma,
Dum Dum Park

The intense heat and high humidity in the city makes it a nightmare to be outdoors even in the late morning. The idea of time shift should have a positive impact on all office-goers. The office schedule can be pushed back by an hour in winter too.